Bengaluru

TheKarnataka State Range Forest Officers’ Association has defended the forest personnel involved in the August 15 firing in Chamarajanagar district in which three suspected poachers were killed, saying the officials had opened fire only in self-defence and to protect wildlife. The statement comes amid continuing controversy over the incident in the Hanur Wildlife Range of the Cauvery Wildlife Division, with the deaths of the Tamil-origin men triggering outrage, especially in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had condemned the killings and sought an investigation, while political leaders in the state have demanded a probe into the incident. The association said the firing occurred inside a reserve forest when forest personnel were attempting to trace and apprehend suspected wildlife poachers.

“Forest department officers and staff work 24x7 in shifts to protect forests and wildlife. In the said operation, they opened fire only in self-defence and in the interest of protecting forests and wildlife, and had no other intention,” it said, adding that the deaths were regrettable. It strongly condemned the registration of a police case against forest department officials and alleged that relatives of the deceased had continuously attacked forest personnel and forest department properties. “It has been observed that various forms of pressure are being exerted on the government to take action against forest department personnel, and that this is being continuously propagated on social media,” the association said, describing the development as highly regrettable.

It said such pressure undermined the morale of forest officers and staff and made it difficult for them to discharge their duties. The association also pointed out that forest personnel had lost their lives while protecting forests and wildlife during several such operations, and that unavoidable incidents had occurred in some instances in order to save their own lives.

“In such circumstances, the association believes that it would be appropriate to take necessary action only after a proper investigation into the incident,” it said. The August 15 incident has emerged as a sensitive Karnataka-Tamil Nadu issue, with demands for an independent probe growing in Tamil Nadu.

The Karnataka government, however, has maintained that the men had entered the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary for illegal hunting, while the circumstances surrounding the firing remain under scrutiny.